


You're Beautiful

by WhiskersandQuiff



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009, Commitment, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 10:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16262624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskersandQuiff/pseuds/WhiskersandQuiff
Summary: Dan and Phil are meeting in person for the first time, and both are nervous as hell. They spend the day together and work through the nerves to find the start of something beautiful.





	You're Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [pasteldnp](http://pasteldnp.tumblr.com/) for betaing for me! She had me add like 2k to this lol  
> This was written for the phandomficfest bingo fest, fulfilling the boxes "Commitment" and "2009".

The first time Dan and Phil met in person, Dan was overcome with emotion. This person he had idolized for so long was _real_. This person from the Internet had seen his name in the midst of so many others and picked _Dan_. This person had wanted to meet _Dan_ , nobody else. 

It was a really fantastic feeling, this feeling of being wanted and treasured enough that as soon as Phil saw Dan and Dan saw Phil, they rushed toward each other and hugged so tightly that Dan wasn’t sure he was still breathing. Phil _really wanted_ to meet him, and that was the best feeling he could possibly imagine.

That is, until Phil spoke to Dan in person for the first time ever.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered as they hugged, his lips brushing Dan’s ear.

Dan’s brain had been on a long rant of _Oh my god, he’s really here and he actually came to get me from the station because he wants to see me in person and he’s actually hugging me right now, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god_ , but the fast-paced stumble of thoughts froze for a moment. 

_Did he just-_ Dan blinked. _Does he think- Surely not._ Dan shook his head, trying to make sense of what he heard. _Phil said- I’m beautiful?_ He felt his cheeks heat up.

He pulled away from the hug slightly, just enough to see Phil’s face. He tried to keep his own face hidden by his fringe so Phil wouldn’t see the deep blush on his cheeks, but he wasn’t sure it worked.

“Did you-” his voice cracked, and he winced. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Did you just call me beautiful?” 

Phil’s face matched Dan’s blush, and he ducked his head in embarrassment. 

“I did,” he mumbled. He carefully looked up at Dan from under his lashes, seeming immensely vulnerable. “Is that okay?”

Dan’s lips stretched into a shy grin, despite his best efforts to bite his lower lip and keep it contained.

“It’s more than okay,” he assured Phil, feeling a bit like he was in a movie, because there was no way this was really happening to him. Timidly, he pulled Phil back into the tight hug like before. As soon as Phil couldn’t see Dan’s face anymore, Dan tentatively whispered, “You’re more beautiful.”

Dan felt Phil shake his head and heard a faint, “Not possible,” but decided not to push it. Instead, he let himself enjoy the moment.

They stayed in that position for a little longer, before Phil was pulling away and insisting that there would be plenty of time for hugs later when they weren’t in the middle of a train station.

Dan pouted, but agreed. He hoisted his bag farther up his shoulder and waited for Phil to lead the way.

Phil wanted to spend the day exploring Manchester together, and Dan was totally fine with that. He’d be thrilled doing anything with Phil.

They started at a Starbucks, drinking their coffees as Phil explained the plans for the day.

Dan didn’t really listen to the plans, though. He _tried_ , he really did, but he was still too wound up from actually _meeting Phil in person_ to be able to pay any attention to his words. Instead, his brain was filled with the memory of their hug, the feeling of Phil’s arms around him, holding him close, whispering in his ear…

“Does that sound okay?”

Dan blinked. “Uh, yeah! That sounds great!” 

For a moment, Phil eyed him suspiciously, like he suspected Dan hadn’t really been listening, but he smiled.

“Great! Then let’s get started.” Phil stood up and walked towards the door, Dan rushing to follow behind him.

_Where were we going first, again? He probably told me, damn. Well, I’m sure I’ll find out._

And find out he did. They wandered through some shops, stopping and joking around with random silly objects they found. At one point, Dan put a hot pink cowboy hat on Phil, who posed dramatically. Later, Phil told Dan to close his eyes for a minute, and, when he opened them, he saw that Phil had found a fake gold chain necklace, green sunglasses, and a snapback hat to try on. 

He looked absolutely ridiculous, and Dan nearly cried laughing.

They eventually left the shops and just wandered around Manchester for a few hours, casually strolling through the city. 

About an hour into their wandering, Dan decided to take a brave step.

He walked closer to Phil down the street, allowing their hands to brush against each other with every other step. He pretended not to notice, waiting to see what Phil would do. 

It took a few minutes before anything happened, which Dan supposed was a good sign. He wasn’t jerking away to keep their hands apart, so maybe he was just working up the courage to do something more. Or maybe this was all Phil wanted to do, which would be alright with Dan, if a little disappointing. He wanted to hold hands, but he would take what he could get.

And then Phil’s hand twitched, and Dan’s warm, tan fingers were adjusted by cold, pale fingers.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, I didn’t think this through. What if my hand is sweaty and gross? What if I swing my arms too much when I walk? What if my arms are too short and he’s hunching weirdly to hold my hand? Oh my god, what have I done?_

Dan stole a glance over at Phil to see if he was uncomfortable. What he found was that Phil was determinedly looking away from him, but unable to hide the sharp blush on his cheeks.

_Is he- happy? Does he like holding my hand? Oh my god, I think he does. Oh my fucking god._

But holding hands wasn’t the most exciting thing that happened on their journey around Manchester. 

As the sun crept lower on the horizon, Phil directed them over to the ferris wheel. 

“They call it the Wheel of Manchester, but I don’t really like that name. It’s a bit boring, really,” Phil explained as they waited in the queue.

Dan nodded and hummed in agreement. 

“It’s basically the London Eye of the north,” Phil continued. “Maybe they should’ve called it that- the Manchester Eye.”

“Have you ever noticed how creepy that name is, though? Like, it makes it sound like there’s just this giant eye staring down at everybody in London.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Phil laughed. He leaned closer to Dan so their shoulders bumped.

They were still holding hands, even though it had been hours now. It all made Dan very giddy. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of the way their hands fit together or how it felt to even walk next to each other. In all his life, he couldn’t remember being so comfortable around another human being.

Finally, it was their turn to go on the Eye, as Phil now insisted on calling it. They entered the pod and stood against the far wall as the door shut behind them and the wheel began to spin.

Dan looked out the windows and grinned.

“We planned this out perfectly. We can watch the sunset from up here!” he exclaimed. He excitedly watched as the sun drooped lower and lower in the sky, creating a beautiful array of color. “Isn’t it pretty, Phil?” He glanced next to him to see Phil staring at him. He cocked his head. “Silly Philly, you’re missing the sunset!”

Phil blushed and turned to face the window. He mumbled something that could have been, “You’re prettier”, but Dan wasn’t sure. 

He _was_ sure, however, that now he wouldn’t be able to appreciate the sunset as much as he thought. He was too distracted by Phil, whose presence he was now keenly aware of.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan could clearly see Phil’s profile. His hair was styled in the messy fringe of his YouTube videos, a few strands poking out that he hadn’t noticed yet. The blush hadn’t yet faded from his cheeks, presenting a sharp contrast on his otherwise pale skin. His hair and his cheek both looked so soft; Dan ached to feel it. He wanted to brush his fingers against Phil’s smooth cheek and bury them in his dark hair, pulling gently on a few strands just to see how Phil would respond. Would he ignore it? Would he hate it? Or would he moan and lean into Dan’s touch, wordlessly seeking more? And how would his response change if Dan did it while kissing him?

Dan’s gaze drifted to light pink lips. They were quirked up in a slight smirk, the bottom lip pouting out a little more than the top. What would that feel like against Dan’s own lips? Would Phil let him kiss him?

“Now you’re the one missing the sunset,” Phil said in a low rumble of a voice, still facing the window.

Dan’s heart just about dropped out of his body. The rumbling tone rendered him speechless as he felt a surge of desire. Apparently, he had a thing for deep voices. Or maybe it was just when it was Phil’s extra-deep voice _._

 _Wait. Am I supposed to respond? What do I say? What_ can _I say? Did he notice me staring at his lips?_ he panicked. He realized he was taking too long to respond when Phil turned to look at him. Dan braced himself, expecting a knowing, pitying look, or maybe disgust, if Phil caught onto Dan’s obvious staring.

But Phil was looking at Dan like he was something… else. Something special, something intriguing.

Dan’s breath caught in his throat; no one had ever looked at him like that before.

He was vaguely aware that the ferris wheel had stopped spinning right when they reached the top, giving them a spectacular view of the sun dipping below the Manchester skyline. He wasn’t looking at the city, though. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from the perfect view already in front of him, staring right back at him.

His eyes drifted back down to Phil’s lips. 

_I really want to kiss him_ …

He took a small step closer to Phil, removing almost all the space that had been between them. He subtly tried to wipe the palm sweat of his free hand onto his jeans, but he didn’t think he was all that successful. Ignoring the remaining sweat, he reached out his hand, found Phil’s free hand, and tangled their fingers together. He couldn’t bring himself to look back up into Phil’s eyes, too worried that he might find something to make him change his mind.

Dan licked his lips and angled his head back and to the side, closing his eyes as he slowly, _so, so slowly_ , leaned up to press his lips against Phil’s.

It only lasted a second, but Dan savored the moment and the feeling of Phil’s lips lightly pushing against his own. They were just as soft as they looked, and they felt like heaven. His courage spent, Dan leaned back and ducked his head in embarrassment. 

One of Phil’s hands dropped Dan’s, and his heart sunk.

_He didn’t want me to kiss him, did he? And now things will be weird between us._

Phil’s hand gently lifted Dan’s chin, and Dan couldn’t avoid eye contact any longer. He looked up just in time to see Phil lean in again for another kiss.

This kiss lasted longer than their first, giving time for Phil’s hand to skim down to hold Dan’s waist and Dan’s free hand to find Phil’s cheek. They moved slowly and carefully, keeping the kiss calm but full of affection. 

Inside, Dan’s heart sang with joy. This awkward boy from the internet somehow liked him enough to kiss him this tenderly, this carefully. How the fuck did that happen? It felt like Phil was making a conscious effort to convey his emotions through the kiss, and Dan was living for every second of it.

They finally pulled apart when the Eye jolted back to life, continuing its rotation. They only separated far enough to breathe their own air, keeping their hands wrapped up in each other. Both of them were blushing furiously and grinning like fools, each trying to hide behind their fringe while still stealing glances at each other.

As their pod approached the ground once more, Dan couldn’t help the giggle he let out. He was absolutely smitten and thrilled that Phil seemed to be in a similar state.

“You’re beautiful,” whispered Phil in awe.

Dan’s blush darkened and he ducked his head into Phil’s chest, which made Phil chuckle. Dan decided not to address it.

“We-” his voice came out at a higher pitch than normal, so he cleared his throat- “We missed the sunset.”

Phil laughed again. “I think it was definitely worth it.”

Dan smiled a genuine, dimpled, lovestruck smile and nodded.

They left the pod hand-in-hand when it reached the ground, walking much closer together than they had before. Dan’s free arm held Phil’s in an awkward hug that he wasn’t sure Phil would like, but he didn’t seem to mind. He guided them back to his parents’ house, where they finally separated from each other so Phil could get them popcorn for a Buffy marathon while Dan waited in Phil’s room. Dan took the moment alone, sprawled out on the bed, to think back on the events of the day.

It had all been _wonderful_. The exploring, and the food, and their unending conversation and laughter, the _kiss_ -

Dan still couldn’t believe he had kissed Phil, or that Phil had kissed him back, but the memory kept replaying in his head, making him grin giddily, cheeks a deep pink. 

_That actually happened. He kissed me back, and he called me beautiful_ and _pretty. I think I might explode._

The memory played on a constant loop in Dan’s head for several minutes, until he realized Phil had probably been gone too long for just making popcorn. Naturally, his thoughts immediately spiraled out of control into negativity and anxiety.

_Did he forget how to make popcorn? Can he not find it? What if he’s realized he doesn’t actually like me? What if-_

“No, you don’t understand,” Phil’s voice trickled in through the mostly-closed door. 

Dan held his breath.

_Who’s he talking to? Don’t understand what?_

“I- I don’t know what to do,” Phil continued.

 _Shit. He wants to kick me out but doesn’t know how because he’s too polite to just tell me to fuck off_.

“No, Martyn, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. He’s perfect, that’s the thing.”

 _Martyn? Isn’t that Phil’s brother? I thought Phil’s family was all away for the weekend_.

Dan quickly sat up and leaned closer to the door, trying to make sense of what was happening. He couldn’t hear any other voices, so he assumed Phil was probably on the phone.

_But who’s “he”? Who’s perfect?_

“He just- he makes me feel like I can do anything. He looks at me like I’m this amazing thing, and I don’t think I’m what he thinks I am, but I want to be that for him, you know?” Phil’s voice was urgent, like he was frustrated and having a hard time figuring out how to express himself.

“I don’t think he knows how fantastic he is, though. He’s absolutely gorgeous, Martyn. I’m a complete wreck. I don’t know how I haven’t made a complete fool of myself yet. All I want to do is stare at him forever.”

Dan’s face fell. He lifted his feet up from the floor and hugged his knees, resting his chin on top.

_He must really like this guy. Like, a lot. Who am I kidding? I can’t compare to anyone Phil’s found. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up so much._

He considered the slightly-open door with a sigh.

_Phil probably has no idea the door is open and I can hear him. I shouldn’t listen in on this conversation, it’s private. I should just put my headphones in and pretend this never happened._

But he couldn’t bring himself to move. He knew it was wrong, but his body wouldn’t listen to him.

It was too busy listening to what Phil was saying next.

“Dan is so different from anyone I’ve ever met. You know I’ve never really connected with people easily, but I feel so comfortable with him. And, _god_ , Martyn, he’s so pretty. Like, he usually straightens his hair but it’s been curling a bit as the day goes on and it looks so soft and perfect and then his eyes are this gorgeous brown that I just can’t stop staring at and I’ve never really noticed people’s noses but his is amazing, I don’t understand it-” Phil cut himself off, presumably because of something Martyn said on the other end. 

Dan took the moment of silence to catch his breath. His body was completely tense, his muscles locked into place. He was too shocked to move.

_Oh my god. What the fuck? Does he really like me that much? Does he really think I’m that pretty?_

“Oh, fuck off, Martyn! I’m having a crisis! I’ve never felt so much for one person, and definitely not this fast! What do I do? I don’t want to scare him off!”

Dan felt himself blushing, then grinning. Phil’s words broke the tension in his system and his feet slid to the floor, freeing his arms. He hid his face in his hands and giggled.

_Holy shit, he likes me! What do I do now?_

“Well, I guess I assume he likes me, too, because he kissed me- Ow, okay, jeez! Sorry I didn’t lead with that! There’s no need to yell, Martyn.”

There was another moment of silence, then Dan heard Phil again, but much quieter than before, like he didn’t want to say anything but knew he had to.

“I know. I’m- I’m scared. I _really_ want this to work out. I know it’s still really early, but I can’t help but feel like- like he could be it, you know? He makes me really happy.”

Dan stared at the door, his hands still covering his cheeks. He was frozen again.

 _Oh my god. Oh my_ fucking _god. He_ really _likes me, oh my god. I make him happy? What the fuck?!_

He felt tears of joy form in his eyes. It was a lot to take in, but he was pretty sure he and Phil were on the same page. Of course, it was still too early to make any kind of long-term commitment like Phil seemed to be suggesting, but Dan was more than willing to let them take their time if it meant doing it right.

_I need to tell him I agree. I need to talk to him about this._

Dan clambered off the bed and to the door, opening it to see Phil standing a few feet down the hallway with his back facing his room.

“I have to be calm about it, though, or I’ll freak him out. That’s the last thing I want to do,” Phil said.

“You won’t freak me out,” Dan replied.

“Ah!” Phil yelped, spinning around and dropping his phone.

“Sorry!” Dan laughed. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Phil chuckled awkwardly as he bent down and picked up his phone. When he straightened, a pink flush coloured his whole face.

“ _Phil? Are you okay?_ ” came a soft voice from the phone.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna have to let you go, alright? I’ll call you later.” Phil ended the call and let the hand holding the phone fall to his side.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your call,” Dan said sheepishly.

Phil was staring at a spot just to the left of Dan’s head, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

“Hm? No, it was fine. You’re here, so I should pay attention to you and call him later.” 

They fell silent for a moment; it was the first awkward silence they felt in their time together. The tension in the hall was palpable, magnified by the silence that stretched on. There wasn’t even the ticking of a clock for either of the young men to focus on instead of the growing social discomfort.

“Dan?” Phil tentatively broke the silence. “How- um- how much of that conversation did you hear?”

 _A lot. I heard a_ lot _of that conversation. Should I lie? He might get mad if he knows I was eavesdropping, even if it wasn’t intentional._

_But then again, this does seem like a conversation we need to have. Maybe I can pretend to only have heard the parts where he’s scared to mess this up…_

“Well,” Dan began, wringing his hands together. “I heard you say something about being- um-” _This is so weird to have to say back to his face_ \- “scared? Of how much you like me?” 

Phil visibly cringed.

Dan rushed to apologize, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, terrified of upsetting Phil. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t meant to hear that, but the door was open and I was waiting for you to come back with the popcorn. I wasn’t intentionally listening in. It sort of just… happened?” Dan awkwardly held his right arm, now hanging at his side, with his left hand. He looked down at the ground, afraid of what Phil’s reaction might be.

“No, it’s okay. I should’ve been more careful to make sure you couldn’t hear me. _I’m_ sorry, because that was kind of a lot to say so early on and I don’t want to come on too strong. I don’t want to scare you off,” Phil said sheepishly as he brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

Dan looked up carefully through his fringe and saw that Phil was still avoiding looking at him.

_This is the most awkward this whole visit has been. I hate it._

“Phil,” Dan whispered. “You’re not coming on too strong.”

Internally, he cheered when Phil’s gaze tentatively met his own.

“We should probably have a conversation about what this all means, anyway,” Dan continued. “I think both of us are nervous of the next step for the same reasons.”

This really got Phil’s attention. His head snapped up as his eyes carefully scanned Dan’s face for any signs of insincerity. Finding none, he smiled softly.

“That’s a relief, really. Why don’t we sit in my room and talk?” Phil suggested.

Dan smiled, then turned and walked back into Phil’s room. He settled on the bed easily, stretching his legs out with his back against the headboard. He patted the spot next to him, indicating that Phil should sit there.

He complied, chuckling as Dan immediately curled himself into Phil’s side. One of Phil’s hands found its way around Dan’s waist and the other rested in his hair, carefully petting it as their conversation began.

“I’m not really sure where to start,” Dan mumbled. “But I want you to know that I like you. A lot.”

Phil hummed in agreement, a soft smile on his face. “I really like you, too.”

They sat in silence for a moment, each processing how this would change their friendship drastically.

“I think we should take things slow,” Phil said. “I’m afraid that if we rush into things we’ll burn out too quickly. I don’t want this to burn out.”

Dan nodded, his brows furrowed as he considered what to say. He wanted Phil to understand how serious he was about this, how significant their budding relationship was to him. “That makes sense. I want to put in the effort to make this work, because I feel like this could be the most important thing to happen to me, like. Ever.”

_I hope he doesn’t think that was too much. Was it too much? I mean, technically he started it._

The arm around Dan tightened, and he felt a pair of soft lips press against the top of his head.

“Thank you,” Phil whispered. “I feel the same way.”

“Good,” Dan said. “But where does that leave us now? Like, what are we?”

“Well,” Phil sighed happily. “I hope that leaves us as boyfriends? If you’ll have me, that is.”

Dan raised his head from Phil’s chest to look up into his eyes, his expression melting into one of awe. “Of course I’ll have you. You’re wonderful.”

Phil’s eyes were soft and full of affection. He smiled at Dan and leaned forward so their noses brushed.

“You’re more wonderful,” he breathed.

Dan’s eyes flicked over Phil’s face, taking in his relaxed and open expression and committing it to memory. His gaze stopped on Phil’s lips.

He wasn’t sure who moved first, or when, exactly, but their lips met for the third time that night. Dan felt like he was floating, tethered only to reality by the feeling of Phil pressed against his body, Phil’s arms wrapped securely around Dan and his lips gently caressing Dan’s own. Dan’s hand reached up and cupped Phil’s cheek, holding his face in place to get a better angle. The kiss was slow and calm as they breathed each other in, relishing in the sensation of being together, in person.

It would be easy for Dan to think that this was it; that these amazing kisses were the reason he wanted to make this work. To some degree, maybe it was within his list of reasons, but thinking even for a moment that it was the main reason would be such an injustice to all they had together that Dan was a little ashamed for the thought crossing his mind at all.

Dan slowly pulled back, resting his forehead against Phil’s.

“I want you to know that I really like you for a lot of reasons,” Dan whispered, eyes still closed.

“I like you for a lot of reasons, too,” Phil replied, leaning back in to kiss him again.

Dan almost let himself get lost in the kiss, but he forced himself to pull back.

“No, really,” he said urgently. He moved his head far enough back to look into Phil’s eyes without them distorting into one image. His thumb brushed softly across Phil’s cheekbone, his eyes following the movement, as he gathered his thoughts for a moment, then he let them tumble out. They were slow at first, but quickly picked up speed. “You’re so- brilliant. And funny. And nice, and creative, and _god_ , you’re so pretty, and I really like you.”

He knew he could go on longer, but he was a little embarrassed already and decided to quit while he was ahead. He took a deep breath and looked Phil in the eyes again.

“You’re absolutely wonderful, in so many ways, and I don’t want this to go to waste. And I know we just said all that, but it was really important for me to tell you really how I feel. So. Um. Yeah,” he concluded, looking away to hide his flushed cheeks.

Phil cooed and reached out to gently lift Dan’s chin so their eyes met. 

“You’re too cute. I think you’re brilliant, too, and funny, and everything else you said about me. And I think you’re beautiful.” Phil smiled wide. “And I really love it when you blush.”

The pink tint on Dan’s cheeks darkened. He punched Phil’s arm. “Shut up.”

Phil laughed. “Well, now I’m just gonna keep talking. Your eyes are amazing, did you know?”

“Phiwww!” Dan whined, pushing him a bit.

“It’s true. And your nose? I could just _eat it right up_ , it’s so cute,” Phil used his best Nan Voice and pinched his thumb and forefinger at Dan’s nose.

“No, stop!” Dan was properly giggling now, even though he tried desperately not to. 

“Oh, and your cheeks! Such perfect dimples there!” Phil leaned in and blew a messy raspberry on his cheek, which sent Dan squealing and squirming away. “Running away, are you? You’re no match for my _phil_ anges!”

Phil lunged after Dan and ran his fingers up his sides, stalling Dan’s retreat with tickles.

“I take it back, you’re horrible!” Dan shrieked through his laughter.

Phil’s tickles were unrelenting for several minutes, until he finally decided Dan had had enough and probably needed to breathe.

“Oh, thank fuck,” Dan sighed as Phil flopped on his side next to him.

Phil’s fingers tangled with Dan’s on the duvet between them. He turned his head to look at Dan’s face, flushed from the laughter, dimple carved into his cheek.

“You’re so beautiful,” Phil whispered.

Dan’s head turned towards Phil’s, a grin on his face. 

Phil brought their clasped hands up to his lips and kissed their interlocked knuckles. They stayed like that, in total silence, just staring at each other, totally content and excited for the future.

This was only the beginning of something amazing, something that would last them a very long time. They knew they would have ups and downs, drama, peace, and joy. Maybe sometimes it would get ugly, sometimes the arguments would be too much to handle in one afternoon, but they would always make up, and smile, and laugh, and, when all was said and done, it would still be just as beautiful as the start.

**Author's Note:**

> I also post to my Tumblr! See the rest of my fics [here](https://whiskersandquiff.tumblr.com/fics-masterlist)


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